DAY
ON THE RIVER 2003The
BLM Redding Field Office's annual Day on the River brought smiles to the
faces of 56 northern California children and their families, as they enjoyed
a raft trip on a tranquil section of the Trinity River near Lewiston, on
Saturday, Aug. 16. The children, all undergoing treatment for serious medical
problems or other disabilities were treated to the trip and a barbecue thanks
to the efforts of more than 100 volunteers from government agencies, organizations
and businesses. It was the fifth year for the event.http://www.ca.blm.gov/redding/2003_riverday.html

WILD HORSE AND BURRO "FIRST"In
a first for BLM California's Wild Horse and Burro adoption program, San
Jose adopters took home yearling horses trained to halter by BLM wranglers
from the Litchfield Corrals. Nine-year old Laura Lynn was the first to take
home one of these specially-trained horses. Her dad, Mark, completed the
adoption process for her. In all, 49 wild horses and burros found new homes
with adoptive families.
Those attending also met other wild horse adopters and trainers, and got
free horse training advice from horse adopter and trainer Phil West of Bishop.
See photos, and learn about more upcoming wild horse and burro events:http://www.ca.blm.gov/news/newsbytes/temp_issues/122_whb.html

MORE
ON WILD HORSES AND BURROS

"Rising Stars helps lift kids' abilities, self-esteem"
(Inland Valley Daily Bulletin, 08/14/2003)
At Rising Stars in Alta Loma, people with physical and mental disabilities
build self-discipline and confidence by riding horses. Called "equestrian
therapy," the program takes a special breed of horse. "Out of
twenty horses that are donated, only one will usually qualify," said
Rising Stars' secretary. "Some are from the Bureau of Land Management.
Mustangs work quite well because they seem to be calm around kids and
know when a child is up. They're also sensible and sure on their feet."http://www.dailybulletin.com/Stories/0,1413,203%257E24392%257E1570327,00.html

"Desert Land Battle Discussed" (Riverside Press-Enterprise,
08/19/2003)
"Finding enough space in the California desert for endangered species,
off-roaders and other activities is only going to get more difficult, the
state's top leader for the U.S. Bureau of Land Management testified Monday."http://www.pe.com/localnews/stories/PE_NEWS_nadunes19.a263c.html

"Postmus calls for evaluation of environmental protection measures"
(Victorville Daily Press, 08/19/2003)
"Saying 'enough is enough,' First District Supervisor Bill Postmus
on Monday called for a hard look at policies undertaken in the name of environmental
protection during remarks made at field hearing by the Resources Committee
of the U.S. House of Representatives."http://www.vvdailypress.com/cgi-bin/newspro/viewnews.cgi?newsid1061300907,34532,

"More off-road: Access to sand dunes urged at Hearing"
(Imperial Valley Press, 08/19/2003)
"Congressman Bob Filner, D-Chula Vista, crashed the party after not
being invited to a U.S. House of Representatives subcommittee hearing here
Monday where the discussion was dominated by supporters of increasing off-road
vehicle access to the Imperial Sand Dunes Recreation Area."http://ivpressonline.com/articles/2003/08/19/news/news02.txt

"Supe to testify before House" (Inyo Register, 08/19/2003)
Inyo County supervisor was set to testify before the same Congressional
Subcommittee hearing, that "county leaders say is a rare opportunity
to express local land use concerns....While Inyo County has no connection
with the Imperial Sand Dunes, it does have lands in the CDCA [California
Desert Conservation Area], and access to those lands is currently in question
with the [BLM's] Draft West Mojave Plan, making local testimony relevant."http://www.zwire.com/site/news.cfm?newsid=10031208&BRD=2270&PAG=461&dept_id=468891&rfi=6

WILDLIFE
TRIVIA QUESTION OF THE WEEK - "Fish
eggs"
How many eggs can a single white crappie lay each time she spawns?a)
50
b) 800
c) 1,000
d) 200,000
(See answer near the end of this issue of News.bytes)

PHOTO
ALBUM: "Sunrises and Sunsets"
BLM-managed public lands offer excellent photo opportunities for spectacular
sunrises and sunsets - from the coast, to the desert floor.

COMPUTER "WORM" BLOCKS NEW
NEWS.BYTES SUBSCRIPTIONSThe subscribe feature for News.bytes is temporarily unavailable.
One reason: the "Sobig" virus/worm that is disrupting email
worldwide. If your computer is infected, "Sobig" mails itself
to anyone in your address book. It can also "pretend" to be
from anyone else. Several hundred of these false messages were sent to
News.bytes, before we temporarily stopped accepting email.
- Please note: email "feedback" you send to News.bytes
may not reach us right now.
- We hope to have the subscription and feedback functions working again
by next week.

"Sobig.F virus is pesky,
prolific" (Sacramento Bee, 8/21/2003)
"If people don't open the attachment, their computers won't get the
virus." But you can still get lots of false emails, "often carrying
subject lines that say things like: 'Your details', 'Re: Wicked screen
saver', 'Re: Your application' and 'Re: Thank you!'" The excessive
email traffic slowed many computer systems, and even delayed some East-Coast
Amtrak trains for up to six hours.http://www.sacbee.com/24hour/technology/story/975855p-6841815c.html

CEMEX/SOLEDAD CANYON GRAVEL MINING

"New McKeon bill on Cemex mine" (Los Angeles Daily News,
08/18/2003)
U.S. Rep. Howard P. "Buck" McKeon, R-Santa Clarita, said Monday
he would introduce legislation in Congress to reduce the size and scope
of a massive sand and gravel mine slated to be built in Canyon Country.http://www.dailynews.com/Stories/0,1413,200~20949~1578427,00.html

"McKeon bill hinges on Cemex" (The Signal, 08/19/2003)
"Santa Clarita's congressman said he'll take new steps to scale back
a massive gravel mining project in Soledad Canyon, but there's one player
whose support he needs first: The mining company. U.S. Rep. Howard 'Buck'
McKeon said Monday he plans to introduce legislation to limit mining in
Soledad Canyon to 'historic levels,' in exchange for allowing concrete
giant Cemex to mine more sand and gravel elsewhere."http://www.the-signal.com/News/ViewStory.asp?storyID=2996

HEADLINES
AND HIGHLIGHTS

"How long can
we destroy our natural beauty?" (Fresno Bee, 08/16/2003)
A U.S. Congressman "has proposed building a dam at Temperance Flat
above Millerton Lake, and legislation has been introduced that could ram
the project through with little public input." Author says dam would
flood much of the BLM-managed recreation area of San Joaquin River Gorge
(formerly known as Squaw Leap), and flood "significant Native America
archaeological sites."http://www.fresnobee.com/opinion/valley_voices/story/7297750p-8222668c.html

Related: "San Joaquin River Gorge
(BLM California Web site)"
This scenic area straddles the San Joaquin River just upstream from Millerton
Lake State Park and includes lands in both Fresno and Madera Counties.
Hikers and horseback riders who use the San Joaquin River Gorge Trail
have access to several thousand acres of public land. Author of above
story states much of this area would be flooded by proposed dam.http://www.ca.blm.gov/bakersfield/squawleap.html

"Agency to weigh fee
plan" (San Bernardino County Sun, 8/18/2003)
"Facing strong criticism from off-road vehicle groups, a federal
agency is taking another look at a plan to impose use fees at four popular
recreation sites in the High Desert. The
[BLM] has shelved an Oct. 1 starting date for the fees, saying it continues
to evaluate a plan to charge $20 for a weekly pass or $60 for an annual
pass to cover costs of law enforcement, emergency medical aid and site
maintenance."http://www.sbsun.com/Stories/0,1413,208%257E12588%257E1578301,00.html

"State crackdown nets $400 million in marijuana plants"
(Los Angeles Times, 08/19/2003)
The Campaign Against Marijuana Planting (CAMP) - including BLM among 76
local, state and federal agencies - was begun by the state Department
of Justice on Aug. 4 and will continue through October. "With at
least 100,000 plants destroyed in less than two weeks, I think we're well
on our way to breaking our records," says CAMP commander. "They
are growing more [marijuana plants] in California, but we're also getting
better at finding them...." State Attorney General says a major concern
is safety on public lands. "Hikers, campers and other outdoor enthusiasts
should not have to worry about stumbling upon gardens protected by armed
gunmen."http://www.latimes.com/news/local/la-me-pot15aug15,1,2072891.story

Related:
"Officials locate, seize, burn marijuana across county"
(Lodi News-Sentinel, 8/21/2003)
More on the CAMP operation, as "Officials from the U.S. Drug Enforcement
Administration, the Bureau of Land Management, the U.S. Forest Service
and the California National Guard arrived in San Joaquin County."
One result: "marijuana consumed by ... crackling fire Wednesday evening
east of Lodi was worth as much as $3 million to $5 million if sold on
the streets...." http://www.lodinews.com/articles/2003/08/21/news/01_marijuana_030821.txt

"Researchers gear up for $1 million SoCal-Nevada robot race"
(Associated Press, in San Francisco Chronicle, 08/14/2003)
"The Pentagon is offering $1 million to whoever builds an unmanned
vehicle that can cross up to 250 miles of some of the toughest terrain
imaginable, the Mojave Desert between Los Angeles and Las Vegas. Competitors
aren't allowed any type of remote control to maneuver around whatever
obstacle the desert may throw at them. No one will be able to change a
flat tire or refuel, either." The competition is expected to cross
some BLM-managed lands - as reported July 2 in News.bytes issue 115 -
but the exact route will not be revealed until two hours before the race.http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?file=/news/archive/2003/08/14/state1154EDT7863.DTL

September 11, Hearing S.511
on PILT (Payments in Lieu of Taxes) by Senate Energy Subcommittee on
Public Lands & Forests. BLM Witness: to be announced.

September 17, Business Meeting
by Senate Energy.

WILDLIFE
TRIVIA OF THE WEEK - ANSWER
d) A single white crappie can lay up to 200,000 eggs with each spawning!
Learn more about the white crappie, a member of the sunfish family that
lives in California - but is not a native. Visit our online wildlife database
at:https://doi1.ios.doi.gov/blmcawildlife.nsf/siteurl/52431678?OpenDocument(Note: the Wildlife Database is hosted on the Department
of Interior's secure Web server - see note under "Selected Upcoming
Events" below.)

SELECTED UPCOMING EVENTS(Note: the Upcoming Events database is on a secure Web
server, and your browser may state "You are about to view pages over
a secure connection" and ask you to "Trust a Security Certificate"
from the Department of Interior that hosts this site. To view the pages,
you must select "Yes" or "OK" for both questions.)

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